About Jimmy Gazaway
Rep. Jimmy Gazaway is serving his fourth term in the Arkansas House. He represents District 31 which includes Greene County. For the 94th General Assembly, Rep. Gazaway is the House Chair for the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee. Rep. Gazaway also serves on the Judiciary Committee and the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. Representative Jimmy Gazaway is an attorney and State Representative serving his second term as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. Representative Gazaway represents District 57, which includes the cities of Paragould and Oak Grove Heights. A native of Paragould, Representative Gazaway has been an attorney in private practice there since 2006.
From 2008-2017, Rep. Gazaway served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Second Judicial District of Arkansas where he gained extensive trial experience, successfully trying numerous jury trials including cases of capital murder, 1st-degree murder, 2nd-degree murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, rape, and others. In addition to his private practice, Rep. Gazaway has served as legal counsel to several municipalities.
Rep. Jimmy Gazaway was born and raised in Paragould and graduated from Paragould High School in 1999. He went on to graduate Cum Laude with a B.A. in Political Science from Arkansas State University in 2003, where he was named the outstanding graduate in political science. Jimmy received his J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law in 2006, and was later named as a Distinguished Public Service Honoree by the law school in 2019. Professionally, Jimmy is a practicing attorney in Northeast Arkansas. He is a member of the Greene County, Craighead County, and Arkansas Bar Associations and is licensed to practice in all Arkansas state courts and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. Prior to his election to the House, from 2008-2017, Rep. Gazaway served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Second Judicial District of Arkansas, where he gained extensive trial experience. In addition to his private practice, Rep. Gazaway has served as legal counsel to several municipalities.
Jimmy is a member of the Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he serves on the transportation and innovation committees. He is a graduate of Leadership Paragould, class XIX. Jimmy is a member of the Greene County Tech Educational Foundation Board of Directors and serves on the Board of Directors for Arkansas Right to Life, an affiliate of National Right to Life and Arkansas' largest pro-life organization.
Jimmy is married to Jessica Gazaway, who teaches art and gifted and talented (PACE program) at Greene County Tech, along with sponsoring the junior high cheer team and coaching Odyssey of the Mind teams. Jessica's Odyssey of the Mind teams have consistently placed first at state competitions and competed in the World Finals. Jessica is also past president of Junior Auxiliary of Paragould. Jimmy and Jessica have one daughter, Julianna (fourteen), and attend Greater Vision Church in Paragould.
State representatives serve in their state's lower legislative chamber. Responsibilities include drafting and voting on state laws, representing their district's interests in the state capitol, serving on state committees, and shaping the state budget. State legislation covers areas like education, healthcare, transportation, criminal justice, and local taxation that directly affect residents' daily lives.